Sonnen: Jon Jones could beat up Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali

Quote :

In recent years, Chael Sonnen has proven himself as a master of self-promotion. So why is it that in advance of his UFC 159 clash with Jon Jones, he seems more interesting in hyping his opponent than himself?

"I don't regret anything ever," Sonnen said on a Tuesday media call promoting UFC 159. "But as far as my perception of Jon, I mean, it changed in about 30 seconds – about the first 30 seconds I was around him. I mean, he's a good guy. He's a very nice guy.

"You know, I hear people that insult him a lot, and I'm going, 'Well wait a second, this guy is the world champion. This guy has achieved what everybody else is dreaming of.' I think people should copy Jon more than attempt to correct me."

Jones (17-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) and Sonnen (27-12-1 MMA, 6-5 UFC) headline Saturday's pay-per-view event, which takes place at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

It's a bold new world for Sonnen, who's probably best known for his epic (and sometimes maniacal) rants ahead of a pair of clashes with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Sonnen has also offered a few choice words for Jones in past years, honing in specifically on the UFC champion's 2012 DUI arrest.

It was that tension that was expected to play a central role on "The Ultimate Fighter 17," where the two served as coaches in advance of their title fight. However, Sonnen instead appeared to take the "kill him with kindness" approach.

On Tuesday, Sonnen continued his praise for Jones' work as a head coach on the show.

"He cared a lot about his team," Sonnen said. "He took coaching very seriously. He was on time every time. And he inspired a bunch of guys that really needed it. … They looked up to him, and he was there for them. And, you know, I think he should be credited for that.

"He was a nice person. And, you know, there's not a lot else I can say."

In fairness, it wouldn't serve much purpose to question the skills of Jones, who at just 25 years old can tie Tito Ortiz's record of five consecutive UFC light heavyweight title defenses with a victory.

Of course, that didn't stop Sonnen from attacking Silva, who's widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. But the self-proclaimed "gangster from West Linn, Oregon" isn't taking that approach this time around. In fact, it's quite the opposite, and when Jones admitted he aspires to have his name one day mentioned alongside pugilistic greats Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali, Sonnen suggested he was already there.

"As great as Jon is, I don't think that he understands how good he is," Sonnen said. "You know, for him to pay tribute to Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali earlier was a very nice thing for him to do. The reality is Jon Jones could beat up Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali in the same day.

"And when he says he wants to be the best ever, Jon, news flash, buddy, you are the best. And as far as tying Tito Ortiz, yes maybe he had a couple more wins but he hasn't had the competition that you've faced. And, you know, that's not a secret. I'm not going to degrade Jon or what he's done. He's the world champion. He's the best in the weight class, and he's the best the weight class has ever seen."

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IMO, it's in your best interest to hype the guy you are going to fight.
If people buy the hype, it just makes your win that much better and your loss not a big deal.

This is like the eleventeenth time Sonnen has talked about how great Jones is. it basicly just boils down to this;

Sonnen-"You guys don't understand! This guy is amazing! In fact, he's so good that you guys should not even think anything of it at all if he beats me. You should just write it off and not hold it against me at all, you know, because he's so fantastic. On the other hand, if I can beat him-oh man!!! That would make me, like, a god or something! Just something for you guys to keep in mind, you know?"

stock wrote:

IMO, it's in your best interest to hype the guy you are going to fight.
If people buy the hype, it just makes your win that much better and your loss not a big deal.

agre

Guys do it after the fight even worse. "Guys, give it up for _____________ he's such a fucking warrior man he's great his camp is one of the best in the game he was so tough in the clinch and he almost got me caught in the blah 400 times...". The only thing they leave out is the "...and I just beat him." part. It's like an indirect way to brag about yourself.

DEP wrote:

stock wrote:

IMO, it's in your best interest to hype the guy you are going to fight.
If people buy the hype, it just makes your win that much better and your loss not a big deal.

agre

Guys do it after the fight even worse. "Guys, give it up for _____________ he's such a fucking warrior man he's great his camp is one of the best in the game he was so tough in the clinch and he almost got me caught in the blah 400 times...". The only thing they leave out is the "...and I just beat him." part. It's like an indirect way to brag about yourself.

i think its two different reasons to say the same thing. after the fight, the winners are praising the loser as misguided sportsmanship. usually, its seems, it is done without ill intention. maybe, with just a little of bragging going on.
in the case of sonnen saying crap like this, its purely for the purpose of psyching jones out and then for the purpose of keeping his stock high in the very probably event of destruction.
war sonnen

Haha, what a cynical bunch we are...lol

FistK wrote:

Haha, what a cynical bunch we are...lol

Cynical is my middle name;

Triggerman Cynical Bonerfartfacehump.